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The week in pictures

From a deadly factory collapse in Bangladesh to clashes in Iraq, Al Jazeera showcases the week in images.

Sun Apr 28 2013 09:45:12 GMT+0000

Bangladeshi garment workers shout slogans and block a road during a protest against the collapse of an eight-storey building in Dhaka that housed several garment factories, killing more than 300 people. The owner of the building, who ignored inspectors who advised to close the structure when cracks appeared in the building a day before the collapse, sits at the nexus of party politics and the country\(***)s powerful $20bn billion garment industry.

Smoke rises after shelling on al-Turkman mountains in the Latakia province, western Syria on April 25. The White House said that Syria had likely used chemical weapons against rebel forces on a "small scale", but emphasized US spy agencies were still not 100 percent sure of the assessment.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot, reads papers at a district court in Russia\(***)s province of Mordovia. A Russian court is to consider whether one of the jailed Pussy Riot members is eligible for early release. Tolokonnikova, in custody since her arrest in March 2012, is serving a two-year sentence for the band\(***)s irreverent protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow\(***)s main cathedral.

Workers of a South Korean company unload products made in inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea on April 27. On Friday, Pyongyang rejected a call for formal talks to end a standoff, forcing operations at the joint industrial complex to be halted. South Korea in turn said it would pull out all its remaining workers from Kaesong.

Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, on April 26. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago.

A local woman watches police officers provide security around the site of a violent clash in Kashgar, in China\(***)s northwestern region of Xinjiang. The violent clash on April 23 between authorities and assailants left 21 people dead in Xinjiang. China chided the US for questioning the deadly clash, which Beijing said was terrorism but that Washington said should be investigated.

A masked Palestinian protester seeks cover from tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes during the weekly protest against the Jewish settlement of Qadomem, near Nablus, on April 26. In total, 16 Palestinians were injured during the clashes.

Liverpool\(***)s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez (R) clashes with Chelsea\(***)s Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic (L) after appearing to bite the Chelsea player during the English Premier League football match. Suarez on April 21 apologised for biting Ivanovic. The incident occurred mid-way through the second half, with Liverpool trailing 2-1 following a tussle in the penalty area.